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China Backstamps - Information and Pictures - ROYAL WORCESTER

Royal Worcester is one of the oldest English porcelain companies in the world, if not the oldest itself. As such, over the years, many different backstamps have been used to identify different patterns and pieces. Unlike many other brands, Royal Worcester stuck to a system where a standard core stamp was used, coupled with special markers that indicated a more precise date.

This crescent mark was used before a more organized marking system was made, dating Royal Worcester pieces back to before 1783.

This stamp began circulating around 1862. Note that the crown is placed above the circle. The "C" in the middle contains the number 51, indicating the year 1751 when the company was first founded. The number underneath is the year the piece was made, though some pieces during this time used a lettering system instead.

After 1877, the letter and number system ceased, but the words "Royal Worcester England" began appearing on the stamps on the outside of the circle. The next dating system implemented placed coded dots both before and after these words that indicated the year of creation.

Starting in 1916, the next dating system included dots and symbols under the stamp. The first symbol was a star, as shown in the picture, with dots on either side to represent the year of creation. Future signs included squares, diamonds, and linked circles.

From 1949 to 1963, after a brief break of not using a dating system, yet another new method was introduced. This time was similar to the last method as it included dots, but instead of symbols, letters were used. In this picture, the date mark is the "W" with dots around it between the words "Royal Worcester" and "Made in England."

Now, a more updated stamp is used with suffix numbers indicating the date. Via lithograph, many stamps now print these significant numbers in either gray or white to keep them from standing out so much.